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Tinder for ideas? Tricking your customers into eating their vegetables? We’ve heard Stranger Things, but this week’s Round-Up is definitely serving up some of the most out there concepts in marketing and advertising.
Unilever looks to break the golden rule of mixing work with pleasure by gamifying their brain share through an app they are dubbing a “Tinder for ideas.” Idea Swipe, an app developed in-house by the multinational FMCG giant is aimed at speeding up idea evaluation, creating an easier process for marketers to rule on good, bad, and ugly ideas. Earlier this week, Unilever’s executive vice-president of consumer marketing and insights, Stan Stanunathan asked, “How do you evaluate a mountain of ideas with a molehill of a budget?” Going on to explain that Idea Swipe is set to solve this issue, Stanunathan stated that, with the app, Unilever looks to “to create double the impact in half the time and cost.”
Not only an exercise in efficiency, the app sets to bring in a more seamless use of technology to the almost 90-year-old organisation. Stanunathan said, “Embracing technology is not a negotiable conversation; you either embrace it or you become a dinosaur.”
And embrace it they will, we look forward to seeing what love matches the Unilever makes over the following few months.
While, in 2019, a fast food restaurant expanding their vegetarian options is not exactly news, Burger King’s method of distribution definitely is. Earlier this week, the burger chain announced the introduction of their 50/50 menu, which features plant-based versions of two of BK’s most popular items, the Whopper and the Chicken King. The twist comes for customers as, when choosing from the menu, they won’t know whether they are receiving the original cut or a plant-based substitute. Burger King is rolling out the menu with the utmost confidence that customers will not be able to taste the difference between the two. In turn, they are hoping to encourage customers to increasingly choose the more environmentally-friendly, meat-free option for going forward. The campaign will be rolled out in Sweden first, with the rest of Europe planned to follow suit – let the taste-tests begin!
Instagram has seen an abundance of changes over the last year. From the departure of its creators to the ever increasing use of ads, for better or for worse, the photo-sharing app has experienced a constant state of flux. This latest development though, announced earlier this week, looks as though it is very much a step in the right direction for the ‘Gram. Finally, taking measures to encourage the youth of today to think before they type, the social media app is adding in an automated warning pop-up, that will be triggered when users feel the need to leave offensive comments on others’ photos and videos. When typing thrash on another’s page, users will now be greeted with a prompt that asks them to reconsider their actions, before allowing them to post.
A spokesperson for Instagram said, "This intervention gives people a chance to reflect and undo their comment, and prevents the recipient from receiving the harmful comment notification. From early tests of this feature, we have found that it encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect."
Added to this, Instagram is also testing out something called Restricted Mode, which will allow users to restrict their follower's reign on their comments, without having to block them.
A more traditional medium that has been given a serious revival, podcasting has emerged as an extremely influential media outlet in the last few years. As the age-old phrase goes, with great power comes great opportunities for targeting consumers, so naturally brands are excited to get involved and reach new captive audiences. The only issue is, as podcasting is still relatively new on the scene, the likes of targeting, measuring, and proving ROI are fairly tricky for agencies, brands, and broadcasters alike. Seeing this opportunity, data analytics firm, Nielsen, has launched a new tool, which is set to help provide insights into the buying habits of podcast listeners.
Nielsen Podcast Listener Buying Power Service (say that three times fast) looks to focus on specific podcast genres and their listenership, empowering brands to make informed decisions when targeting audiences. On the product launch the president of the iHeartPodcast Network, Conal Byrne, said, "We are looking forward to the ways that data from Nielsen’s Podcast Listener Buying Power service will allow us to communicate our podcasting value proposition to advertisers.”
The much-anticipated Stranger Things returned for a third season earlier this Summer. The jury is still out on the show’s endurance in terms of entertainment but when it comes to straight up commercialism, Netflix has, once more, proved itself to be guilty as charged. Mixing together a cool combination of confectionary and nostalgia, Netflix has partnered with ice-cream franchise, Baskin Robbins, to bring audiences Scoops Ahoy, the setting of some of the show’s most iconic scenes, in real life. To serve up this dramatised desert, Netflix and Baskin Robbins worked with Atlanta agency, 22squared, to build two yacht-shaped restaurants located in California and Toronto. Each establishment comes complete with employees kitted out in their very own Scoops Ahoy uniforms, ready to take customers to the upside-down of ice-cream heaven.
